Black History

Aside from being studied as a possible preventative treatment for lymphoma, prostate cancer, breast cancer and metastatic cancer, broccoli has now been proven to fight age-related vision loss. This tasty green superfood contains an essential detoxifying compound that triggers the creation of receptor proteins in the retina to prevent age-related macular degeneration, or AMD.

The leading cause of vision loss for over 10 million Americans, AMD occurs when AhR proteins fail to continue activating at normally occurring levels.

Usually affecting people over the age of 50, AMD damages the macula, a part of the retina that assists in producing sharpened images of objects in your direct line of sight.

As the disease progresses, affected individuals often report the presence of a "blurred area near the center of vision," that grows larger and larger with time.

While AMD does not lead to complete blindness, its debilitating effects can cause a great amount of interference with daily activities such as driving, reading, writing, cooking and identifying the faces of those around you.

Compound in broccoli found to prevent age-related vision loss

Broccoli contains a compound called I3C, which naturally boosts the creation of AhR in the retina, thus preventing the onset of age-related macular degeneration.

A study published in Scientific Reports, revealed: "I3C helps clear cells of environmental toxins by activating the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) protein which upregulates pathways involved in chemical detoxification."

To use broccoli's levels of naturally occurring I3C to treat human vision loss, lead researcher Arvind Ramanathan, PhD, knew there would be some challenges.

Since broccoli's levels of I3C are not sufficient enough to activate a substantial protective effort against AMD, Ramanathan conducted a series of virtual screenings to find a compound related to I3C that would bind to AhR proteins within the retina more effectively.

After thorough investigation, Ramanathan and his team found a compound 10 times more potent than I3C, called 2,2'-aminophenyl indole, or 2AI. "2AI protected human retinal cells in culture from stress," Ramanathan said. "And it also protected retinal cells in mice from light-mediated damage."

Since environmental stress is one of, if not the main contributor to age-related macular vision loss, 2AI's ability to protect cells from stress related degeneration means its future role in preventing AMD could be crucial.

Naturally occurring compounds provide potential for treatment of other age-related diseases

Ramanathan also spoke of the discovery of additional naturally occurring compounds that could aid in the prevention of age-related diseases. After the successful findings of his IC3-broccoli study, Ramanathan encourages others to conduct similar studies, stating: "This method allows us to capitalize on nature's wisdom to find related molecules that can deliver therapeutic benefit."

While naturally occurring health remedies exist in overwhelming abundance, it is up to independent scientific research to inform the public of their immense potential to fight and cure diseases affecting modern day society. Thanks to Dr. Ramanathan, and many others like him, maybe the world will one day realize their unlimited potential.

It has only been in comparatively recent times that public attention has been directed to the harmful effects of black mold on humans. The scientific name for what is usually referred to as 'black mold' is genus Stachybotris and species chartarum. The organism is also known as Stachybotris atra or Stachybotrys alternans.

The first scientific notice of the black mold was taken by a Czech scientist in 1837 Prague. August Carl Josef Corda noted that the substance required moisture to grow. The significance of the organism in producing unhealthy conditions in buildings was not suspected until the second quarter of the last century (1900). It was then postulated that the fungus was the cause of leprosy in ancient times. But proof of this theory has never been pursued. Although its toxic properties were known, the black mold was not considered a major health risk until the 1980's.


In 1986 a family residing in Chicago asked for medical assistance and advice about chronic afflictions that had been affecting all their members for some years. Proceeding on the assumption that the pathological signs were caused by the inhalation of pollutants, it was verified that the air inside the Chicago home was replete with spores of Stachybotrys chartarum. It was subsequently discovered that the house itself had colonies of the black mold in most areas, a condition which was induced by the persistent high moisture content of its environment. Specifically, the family members experienced fatigue, chronic states of diarrhea, fevers and colds. Lucky for these people the conditions were remedied in time and no untoward incidents occurred.

The first hint at the possible fatal effects of black mold on humans occurred during the tragedy in Cleveland, Ohio which occurred between 1993 and 1994. Out of 45 infants suffering from pulmonary hemorrhage, sixteen died. It was later confirmed that there were colonies of Stachybotrys chartarum in the infants' homes. Although some scientists question the validity of the logic associating the deaths with black mold, the incident has become a primary motivator for research in this area to be conducted intensively.


Scientific research has so far proven that the conjectures and fears of the previous generation concerning the toxicity of black mold are all based on fact. The relatively recent scientific evidence accounts for the fact that not many people are aware of this danger and not many homeowners have even heard about mold-removal as being an important requirement for maintaining a healthy home environment.

Specifically, people whose home environments have a moisture content of 55 % and above are very likely to have colonies of black mold hidden behind the wall boards, inside the ceiling or under their floors. Those who live in humid environments owe it to themselves to avail of a hygrometer. This is a device that reports the current moisture content of the air. In cases where the moisture content is 55 % or above and the people living in the house are experiencing chronic colds, fatigue and coughing, along with the other symptoms of black mold toxicity, the appropriate remedial measure should be undertaken to eliminate or control the pathogenic fungus and prevent tragedies from happening.

Poker is the world's most popular card game - and it is one with a rich history that began well before the early 19th century when poker, as we know today, came into being. Nowadays, poker is played in various forms throughout the world. Although countless variants of poker are described in the literature of game, they all share certain essential features. Besides poker tables and playing cards, next most important element of the game is poker chips themselves. These multi-colored poker chips are one of the key features that attract you to table. Poker chips you see in casinos are designed to work with  ambiance the casino is creating. These special chipsets are made exclusively according to the casino's specifications, showcasing its logo or symbol. Yet casinos are not the only ones with imagination and creativity to design their own custom poker chips - they are also available for your purchase.


Let's face it: a poker player will have his or her own set of chips but a true-blue poker lover will surely prefer to buy personalized poker chip set. From physical game stores to online sellers, there are literally a number of methods to own a self-designed poker chip set. They offer you many varieties of custom chips available. There are many differences in security, composition, style, and even the amount of customization that can be done to them.


 These days, more and more people prefer to buy custom poker chip set online as it comes with a lot of benefits. To start with, you do not have to roam around the market looking for game shops which actually saves your time and effort. You can easily log on and surf several online stores while sitting comfortably at your home. It also gives you an opportunity to compare various designs, colors, patterns, materials, and cost offered by online custom poker chip set sellers. The ease surfing, selecting and comparing makes online shopping with home delivery option gives you an incomparable comfort.


No matter you are buying for any special occasion or for your home game, custom poker chips can enhance a mood and overall good time. They can bring a nice little atmosphere to a friendly game between special people or they can pull the competitive spirit if the people willing the bet. The important aspect of buying personalized poker chips is that you have fun and gives you feel of individuality whenever your friends and family are there to play.

A dangerous new strain of drug-resistant yeast infection is spreading throughout the globe, and may soon reach the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

The deadly strain, called Candida auris, has killed 60 percent of patients who developed the fungal infection, and is resistant to most anti-fungal drugs commonly used to treat such infections.

From The Washington Post:

"Most people are familiar with the garden variety kind of yeast infections that people get on the skin or in their genitals. But invasive yeast infections can be fatal, especially for patients in intensive care or having surgery. Others at risk include people with diabetes, patients taking powerful antibiotics and antifungal medications, and those with catheters.

"This emerging strain of yeast, known as Candida auris, has triggered outbreaks in health-care settings, causing bloodstream, wound and ear infections. Since 2009, the pathogen has been found in nine countries on four continents, including one possible infection in the United States in 2013."

Hard to identify, difficult to treat

CDC officials issued an alert to healthcare facilities and medical associations that said: "CDC is concerned that C. auris will emerge in new locations, including the United States."

The concern is that two, and possibly all three, of the classes of anti-fungal drugs currently used to treat such infections may not be effective against C. auris, according to CDC fungus expert, Tom Chiller.

Another problem is that the strain may be easily misidentified:

"Invasive infections with any type of Candida can be fatal. Based on information from a limited number of patients, 60 percent of people with this new type of Candida infection have died, but it's not clear how many of them had other serious illnesses that also increased their risk of death.

"Most hospital labs in the United States also don't have the capacity to identify the new strain because it can be confused with other more common types of yeast. As a result, misidentification could lead to inappropriate treatment, he [Chiller] said.

"That's particularly important with this organism because the limited data so far suggests that the infections have occurred primarily in patients who were already in the hospital for other reasons. Unlike other types of yeast that typically spread from person to person, 'this one seems to get into hospital settings and stay there,' Chiller said, and may spread from contact with the environment, such as contaminated surfaces or equipment."

In recent years, the effectiveness of drugs in treating infections and illnesses has begun to diminish as more drug-resistant strains continue to develop. The overuse of antibiotics – and their presence in our food supply – has led to the rise of "superbugs" that are resistant to almost all current antibiotics, and no new antibiotics are being developed.

Natural alternatives to drug-based medicine

Mainstream medicine's approach to controlling infections and disease through the use of drugs is proving to be a failure in the long run. It's becoming increasingly clear that alternative medicines and natural methods of boosting the body's immune system are far more effective than Big Pharma solutions.

Through a diet of natural superfoods and organic nutritional supplements, you can build your body's resistance against infections and disease.

One of nature's most powerful green superfoods – spirulina – is now available in 100 percent organic tablet form and brought to you by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, founder/editor of Natural News.

"Health Ranger Select 100% Organic Spirulina is certified kosher, non-GMO, meets ISO 9000 quality control standards and is 100% pure, with no fillers, additives, preservatives or binding ingredients. It provides the perfect balance of essential vitamins and nutrients."

I am continually amazed – and disappointed – by the fact that far too many Americans continue to rely upon and trust government institutions after repeatedly seeing agency after agency, institution after institution, and bureau after bureau, cheat, lie to them, misrepresent data and rob them of their liberties.

Count a government laboratory that was once operated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as yet another of example of this ongoing deceit.

As reported by The Daily Caller News Foundation, the Energy Geochemistry Laboratory in Lakewood, Colo., was closed recently, after investigators and a lawmaker revealed that, over a period of nearly 20 years and at a cost of $108 million, the laboratory had engaged in "disturbing" data manipulation with "serious and far ranging" effects.

The inorganic section of the USGS lab manipulated data on a range of topics, including many related to the environment, from 1996 to 2014. Worse, the manipulation was discovered in 2008 – the year President Obama was elected – but nevertheless continued for another six years.

Has anyone been held responsible?

"It's astounding that we spend $108 million on manipulated research and then the far-reaching effects that that would have," said Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Ark., said at a House Committee on Natural Resources hearing. "We know how research multiples and affects different parts of our society and our economy and ... if you're working off of flawed data it definitely could be in a bad way.

"The problems were so severe, in fact, that the USGS has already closed the inorganic lab in question permanently," he added.

The lab was shuttered, finally, in January. No word on whether anyone has been held responsible (financially or otherwise) for the manipulation, or what particular environmental data – no doubt fabricated to support certain environmental objectives and policies that came down from the White House – was changed.

The lawmaker cited a recently released Department of the Interior Inspector General (IG) report that said impacts from the changed data "are not yet known but, nevertheless, they will be serious and far ranging. The affected projects represented about $108 million in taxpayer funding from fiscal year 2008 through 2014."

In addition, Westerman highlighted an interview that the IG did not include in its report.

"Tell me what you want and I will get it for you. What we do is like magic," a former USGS official told auditors a former employee linked to the manipulation would say, according to the congressman, who also said that the IG's interview notes make the context of that quote unclear.

"Given the lab's history and that problems had already been identified when this interview was being conducted, such a statement seems potentially significant," Westerman told Deputy IG Mary Kendall, a witness for the hearing.

"Your office explained that you do not know the context or veracity of this statement and that this issue was not part of the audit," Westerman told Kendall.

Nevertheless, other scientists became aware that data manipulation was taking place and began using other labs.

This is exactly why we need MORE independent labs and scientists

Westerman – who has an engineering background – noted that flawed data can very often lead to flawed legislation and policy making, which have direct impacts on the American people.

"I'm not even sure what the scientific result[s] were used in," he said. "A lot of the work that people do that's based on scientific research is so important and if the base research is flawed, then that affects the work that goes out from there."

This is exactly why citizen scientists and independently-owned and operated research facilities like CWC Labs are so important: They produce agenda-free scientific results.

"Consumer Wellness Center Labs specializes in the analytical testing of foods and dietary supplements with an emphasis on organic products," notes the lab's website. Built from the ground up by its director, Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, and author of the new book, Food Forensics, the lab recently received crucial credentialing and is now accepting commercial customers.

As more government institutions fail us (remember when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention actually had a decent reputation?), Adams and other independent scientists will increasingly be needed to fill the void and provide the world with scientific results that are not tainted by political agendas, financial ties or other ulterior motives.

Blueberries are just one of the "superfoods" nature has blessed us with. There are so many wonderful qualities and health benefits to eating more blueberries that they are almost too numerous to count.

Besides being packed with vitamin C and antioxidants, research shows that blueberries are excellent stress relievers and can add significantly to brain health.

In fact, they may even work to keep dementia and Alzheimer's disease at bay.

Though the reason why those conditions develop is still largely a mystery to scientists, one thing is for sure: Those seeking to thwart it should turn to organic blueberries for assistance.

Click now to register for the FREE online Alzheimer's and Dementia Summit!

It's a big deal, because, as participants in the upcoming free online Alzheimer's and Dementia Summit that runs from July 25-August 1 will learn, dementia and Alzheimer's is on the rise. A person is diagnosed with the condition once every three seconds. And since dementia starts in the brain 30 to 50 years before symptoms appear, it's important to learn how to prevent the onset of dementia at the summit.

Robert Krikorian, a researcher at the University of Cincinnati, recently conducted a study of 47 people who were aged 68 and older, and who had already been diagnosed with mild levels of cognitive impairment. These are defined as slight lapses in memory that may or may not later develop into dementia.

In his study, Krikorian gave some participants a powder concentrated from the amount of blueberries that would fill a teacup, while other study participants were given a placebo. Each of the test participants was subjected to mental tests that honed in on thinking and memory skills – two of the brain functions that are most often affected by dementia – as the study was being launched and again at its conclusion.

Subjects who consumed the blueberry powder displayed great improvement in their cognitive abilities when compared to the group taking the placebo. Krikorian's findings were supported by brain scans that showed more activity in the group that had consumed the blueberry powder.

The researchers say that those whose cognitive functions improved, more than likely benefited from anthocyanins contained in blueberries, the chemicals that give the fruit its deep blue-purple coloring. Scientists involved in the study believe that the compound influences the brain by reducing inflammation, boosting the flow of blood and making it simpler for cells to communicate with each other.

Krikorian said that the study's findings were in line with earlier studies involving both humans and animals. He noted that in future studies he is planning to focus on men and women in their 50s and early 60s who have been deemed to be at higher risk for developing Alzheimer's.

The scientist further emphasized how important it is for people to begin incorporating more blueberries into their diet as they approach middle age, because research indicates that the condition could begin affecting one's brain decades before the first symptoms ever present. And while researchers don't yet know at what amount blueberries' protective effects begin, Krikorian believes that eating the fruit several times per week will do the trick.

A team of researchers from the University of Reading and Peninsula Medical School in England conducted a similar study. It, too, showed improved performances in spatial working tasks after just three weeks of a three-month study involving the supplementation of a regular diet with blueberries.

"This study not only adds science to the claim that eating blueberries are good for you, it also provides support to a diet-based approach that could potentially be used to increase memory capacity and performance in the future," the study's principal investigator, Dr. Matt Whiteman, said.

Of the top 10 causes of death in America, Alzheimer's is the only disease that cannot be cured or its progression altered through the use of traditional medicine, so these alternative forms of treatment are especially promising. An estimated 5.4 million Americans are currently living with the disease.